Master Gudo Nishijima has been practicing Buddhism for more than sixty years.
He was a student of Master Kodo Sawaki, an itinerant priest famous
for his efforts to restore Zazen to its rightful place at the center
of Buddhism. Master Nishijima was ordained as a priest by the
late Master Rempo Niwa, formerly head of the Soto Sect,
and has written many books on Buddhism
in both Japanese and in English.
For over twenty years, he has been
giving instructions on Zazen and lectures in English.
See here for details.

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Important principles in Shobogenzo (11) Uji

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(1) An eternal Buddha says, Sometimes standing on top of the highest peak, Sometimes moving along the bottom of the deepest ocean. Sometimes three heads and eight arms, Sometimes the sixteen-foot or eight-foot [golden body]. Sometimes a staff or a whisk, Sometimes an outdoor pillar or a stone lantern. Sometimes the third son of Chang or the fourth son of Lee, Sometimes the Earth and space.

(An eternal Buddha says,At an existent time, standing on the top of a very high peak,At an existent time, going on a very deep bottom of the ocean,At an existen time, being very angry like Rågaråja,At an existent time, being 16 feet, or 6 feet like Gautama Buddha,At an existent time, having a staff, or a whisk for a Buddhist Ceremony,At an existent time, being like an outdoor pillar or a stone lantern in a temple,At an existent time, being the third son of Chang or the fourth son of Lee. At an existent time, being the whole earth or the space.

According to the Buddhist philosophy, everything exists really just at the present moment, therefore the Buddhist poem above indicates just the real situations of our human life.

(2) In this word "sometimes," Time is already just Existence, and all Existence is Time. The sixteen-foot golden body is Time itself. Because it is Time, it has the resplendent brightness of Time. We should learn it as the twelve hours of today. The three heads and eight arms are Time itself. Because they are Time, they are completely the same as the twelve hours of today. We can never measure how long and distant or how short and press-ing twelve hours is; at the same time, we call it "twelve hours." The leav-ing and coming of the directions and traces [of Time] are clear, and so people do not doubt it. They do not doubt it, but that does not mean they know it. The doubts which living beings, by our nature, have about every thing and every fact that we do not know, are not consistent; therefore our past history of doubt does not always exactly match our doubt now. We can say for the present, however, that doubt is nothing other than Time.

(The meaning of "existent time" suggests that time is just the same as existence, and existence is just time in every case. The golden body of Gautama Buddha, which has 16 feet length, is just the present moment, and because of being the present moment, it has its gorgeous brightness as a time. And we should study that the time should be understood just as the time, which are the same as 24 hours a day. The state of becoming angry like Rågaråja is just time, and because of being time, it might be perfectly the same as the 24 hours, which we are using now. So far it is impossible for us to calculate the length, distance, shortness, and urgency, however, because of our convenience we call them 24 hours. Because the direction or traces of time seems to be very clear actually, people usually do not have any doubt about time. But even though they do not have any doubt about it, it is not true that they actually know such a matter clearly. Of course it is not so one-sidedly clear, when people doubt miscellaneous things and phenomena, whether they have decisively doubt without fail, or not, therefore it is not always conspicuous whether the doubt today can be indentified with the former one. However, it can be said without fail that the doubt is just time inevitably.)

In short it is not always clear whether we have the same doubt or not, but it is completely clear that a simple fact, which is called doubt, is time itself without fail.

(3) We put our self in order, and see [the resulting state] as the whole Universe. Each individual and each object in this whole Universe should be glimpsed as individual moments of Time. Object does not hinder object in the same way that moment of Time does not hinder moment of Time. For this reason, there are minds which are made up in the same moment of Time, and there are moments of Time in which the same mind is made up. Practice, and real-ization of the truth, are also like this.

(We arrange ourselve in order, and we call ourselves the whole Universe. And we should glimpse that each person and each thing in the whole Universe must be each time. The situations that each thing does not hinder each thing, are very similar to the situations that each time does not hinder each another time. Because of this reason, there is establishment of will to the truth at the same time, and there is occurance of the same mind at the same time. And practice and accomplishment of the truth are also the same.)

I am arranged as the universe, and each person and each thing are also as the same as each time. Each thing does not hinder each other, and each time does not hinder each other. Therefore at the same moment establishment of the will to the truth can occur, and the same will to the truth can occur at the same moment. The practice and the realization of the truth are also in the same situations.

(4) Putting the self in order, we see what it is. The truth that self is Time is like this.

(Arranging ourselves as we are, and we look at them as we are. Therefore it is very clear that we are time like this.)

Therefore it is very clear that we are just time.

(5) We should learn in practice that, because of this truth, the whole Earth includes myriad phenomena and hundreds of things, and each phenomenon and each thing exists in the whole Earth.

(Because of the principle like this, miscellaneous phenomena and many things exist as they are on the earth, and we should study by experience that each thing and each phenomenon exist on the earth independently.)

Because everything and every phenomenon exist as it is like this, we should study by experience that miscellaneous phenomena and many things exist on the earth. Existence of ourselves suggest existence of our action, and so it is very clear principle that we are just time itself.

(6) Such toing-and-froing is a first step [on the way] of practice. When we arrive in the field of the ineffable, there is just one [concrete] thing and one [concrete] phenomenon, here and now, [beyond] understand-ing of phenomena and non-understanding of phenomena, and [beyond] understanding of things and non-understanding of things. Because [real existence] is only this exact moment, all moments of Existence-Time are the whole of Time, and all Existent things and all Existent phenomena are Time. The whole of Existence, the whole Universe, exists in individual moments of Time.

(Such coming and going is the starting point of practice. However, in the case of arriving at the ultimate ineffable, the situations are just one thing, one phenomenon, or understanding and beyond understanding, or understanding a thing and beyong understanding a thing. Because every time is always just the present moment, the existent time is totally the whole time, and an existent thing and an existent phenomenon are both time. In other words, the whole existence and the whole Universe exist at the present time of each moment.)

In Buddhist philosophy, existence and time are always combined into one, therefore we can think that the whole existence and the whole Universe just exist at the time of every moment.

(7) That is to say, when I was climbing a mountain or crossing a river, I was there in that Time. There must have been Time in me. And I ac-tually exist now, [so] Time could not have departed. If Time does not have the form of leaving and coming, the Time of climbing a mountain is the present as Existence-Time.

(That is to say, when I was climbing a mountain or crossing a river, I really existed at that moment. And just at that time I might have time without fail. Therefore I just existed at that time, and it is impossible for time to leave me. And if it is true that time does not have any form of leaving and coming, the time of climbing a mountain is just the present moment of existent time.)

Even in the past time, if I have climbed up a mountain at a real moment, I can say that the time of climing mountain, has been a just present moment of existent time.

(8) To grasp the pivot and ex-press it: all that exists throughout the whole Universe is lined up in a series and at the same time is individual moments of Time. Because [Time] is Existence-Time, it is my Existence-Time.

(In short, the whole existence in the whole Universe, even though it seems to be combined into one, it is separated into each moment. And because it is an existent time, and so I can call it my existent time.)

Even though the whole Universe seems to be combined into one, actually speaking the Universe is always separated into each moment. Therefore we can call the each separate moment as existent time, and we can call it as my existent time.

(9) The view of the common man today, and the causes and conditions of [that] view, are what the common man ex-periences but are not the common man's Reality. It is just that Reality, for the present, has made a common man into its causes and conditions. Because he understands this Time and this Existence to be other than Reality itself, he deems that "the sixteen-foot golden body is beyond me." Attempts to evade [the issue] by [thinking] "I am never the sixteen-foot golden body" are also flashes of Existence-Time; they are glimpses of it by a person who has yet to realize it in experience and to rely upon it.

(The view of the common man at the present moment, and the causes and circumstances of the common man's view, are just what the common man experiences but they are not the common man's Reality. The situations are just that the Universe has given the causes and circumstances of it to the common man for a while. Because the common man understands that this real time and this real existence are different from the Universe, and so he recognizes that Gautama Buddha, who has the golden body of 16 feet, is different from the common man himself. But the common man, who thinks that he is not Gautama Buddha himself, and who wants to flee from being Gautama Buddha, is also just each present moment of existent time, and it is just the momentary view by the common man, who hasn't realized the Real view at each moment.)

Even though the Universe has made everyone as the same as Gautama Buddha, the common man does not like to affirm such a real facts, therefore the common man does not accept that he is just the same as Gautama Buddha himself.

(10) Because something sur-plus is just something surplus, even a moment of half-perfectly-realized Existence-Time is the perfect realization of half-Existence-Time. Even those phases in which we seem to be blundering heedlessly are also Existence. If we leave it utterly up to Existence, even though [the mo-ments] before and after manifest heedless blundering, they abide in their place as Existence-Time. Abiding in our place in the Dharma in the state of vigorous activity is just Existence-Time.

(Because something surplus must be maitained as something surplus for ever, and so even an existent time, which hasn't been realized only half, must be maintained as an half existent time, which has been realized already. In that case, even forms and situations, which seems to have been passed through already, is just existence without fail. Furthermore, if we follow the real situations of existent time, even the realized facts before and after, which has been realized by mistakes, are also the living place of existent time. The very vigorous activity in the system of the Universe is always the existent time.)

The real existent time is always the facts at the present moment, and so even a half-realixed existent time is also just the half-realized existent time. Even the real situations, which seems to be mistakes, are also the real existent time of mistakes. All vigorous real activities, which exist in the Universe, are just the real existent times.

38]

(11) In short, without any cessation of restrictions and hindrances, Existence-Time is realized. Celestial kings and celestial throngs, now appear-ing to the right and appearing to the left, are the Existence-Time in which we are now exerting ourselves. Elsewhere, beings of Existence-Time of land and sea are [also] realized through our own exertion now. The many kinds of being and the many individual beings which [live] as Existence-Time in darkness and in brightness, are all the realization of our own effort, and the momentary continuance of our effort. We should learn in practice that without the momentary continuance of our own effort in the present, not a single dharma nor a single thing could ever be realized or could ever con-tinue from one moment to the next.

(Generally speaking, even though there are no cessations of miscellaneous hindrances like thin nets for small birds or basketworks for catching fish, the existent time is always realized at every moment. Even Celestial kings and celestial throngs, who manifest themselves sometimes at our right side or sometimes at our left side now, are just the existent time, which we have made our efforts to make them appear. Furthermore all other miscellaneous existent times of land and see other than the above, are also the existent times, which we have produced all totally relying upon our own enormous efforts at the present moment. In the dark world and in the bright world, the miscellaneous animals and miscellaneous human beings have been realized by our enormous efforts, and they have been manifested by our own momentary continuance of our efforts. We should notice and experience that without our enormous efforts of the momentary continuance even one Reality, or even one thing, can never be realized at all.

(12) The momentary passing of spring, for example, inevitably passes, moment by moment, through spring itself. It is not that the momentary passing of time is spring; rather, because spring is the momentary passing of time, passing time has already realized the truth in the here and now of springtime. We should research [this] in de-tail, returning to it and leaving it again and again.

(The momentary passing is, for example, like spring. Spring has so miscellaneous kinds of situations, and those so miscellaneous kinds of situations are called the momentary passing. And we should study that even though there is nothing other than spring, we call it the momentary passing of spring. For example the momentary passing of spring inevitably pass through spring itself. Even though the momentary passing is not always spring, now it is the momentary passing of spring, therefore the momentary passing is realized just at the time of spring. So we should really experience the situations again and again in detail.)

The momentary passing is not always limited only to spring, but the momentary passing pervades throughout everything. Therefore we should think that the momentary passing occurs everywhere at every moment.

40]

(13) Thus questioned, Zen Master Daijaku (Master Baso Do-itsu) says, "Sometimes I make him lift an eyebrow or wink an eye, and sometimes I do not make him lift an eye-brow or wink an eye; sometimes to make him lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is right, and sometimes to make him lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is not right."

(Being asked, Master Daijaku says, "At an existent time, I make him (myself) lift an eyebrow or wink an eye. At an existent time I do not make him (myself) lift an eye-brow or wink an eye. At an existent time to make him (myself) lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is right. And at an existent time to make him (myself) lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is not right."

Our action is always done at the existent time, and so our behavior at the existent time is not always the same, and such a situation is just the action at the existent time. Therefore we can say that this is just the philosophy of action.

42]

(14) What Daijaku says is not the same as [what] others [can say]. [His] eye-brows and eyes may be the mountains and the seas, because the mountains and the seas are [his] eyebrows and eyes. In his making himself lift [an eye-brow], he may be looking at the mountains; and in his making himself wink, he may be presiding over the seas. Being right has become familiar to him, and he has been led by the teaching. Neither is not being right the same as not making himself [act], nor is not making himself [act] the same as not being right. All these [situations] are Existence-Time.

(What Master Daijaku says is not the same as what others say. The subjective symbol of eye-brows and eyes might be the one with the objective symbol of mountains and sees, because the objective symbol of mountains and seas might be the one with the subjective symbol of eye-brows and eyes. Therefore what he says that he lifts up his eye-brows might suggest looking mountains, and he winks an eye might suggest to admire the ocean. The word "right" is much accustomed by himself, and he is much invited by instruction from outside too. Not being right is different from having no instruction from outside, and having no instruction from outside is not always wrong. At the total conclusion, all those situations are exsistent times without fail.

The momentary appearance of the Uniververse can be done only relying upon our momentary efforts, which are done at the existent time, and so it is necessary for us to think that even the whole Universe and even only one thing have to be realized by our own action at the present moment, and without such efforts there is no chance for us to produce anything really at the present moment relying upon the existent time, at all.

44]

(15) On one occasion he preaches to the assembly: Sometimes the will is present but the words are absent, Sometimes the words are present but the will is absent,Sometimes the will and the words are both present,Sometimes the will and the words are both absent.

(On one occasion he (Shouken Kisho) preaches to the audience:At an existent time, the intentions have arrived at, but the expressions haven't arrived at yet.At an existent time, the expressions have arrived at, but the intentions haven't arrived at yet.At an existent time, both the intentions and the expressions have arrived at already,And at an existent time, both the intentions and the expressions haven't arrived at yet.)

Every existent time always appears at every moment suddenly, therefore it is usually very difficult for us to suppose the situations of existent times before it occurs. So it is usually almost impossible for us to suppose it before.

(16) The will and the words are both Existence-Time. Presence and absence are both Existence-Time. The moment of presence has not finished, but the moment of absence has come – the will is the donkey and the words are the horse; horses have been made into words and donkeys have been made into will. Presence is not related to having come, and absence is not re-lated to not having come. Existence-Time is like this.

(Intention and expression are both existent times. Having arrived at already and haven't arrived at yet are both existent times. The situations are usually described that the time of arrival hasn't accomplished yet, but the time of hasn't arrived at has come already. Intention can be symbolized with an ass, and expression can be symbolized with a horse. A horse is used as a symbol of words, and an ass is used as a symbol of intention. Having arrived at is different from to come, and not having arrived at yet is different from not having come. The real situations of existent times are like this.)

Intention is a kind of expectation, and expressions are concrete description of words. But it is possible for us to call both intention and expression as existent times. We can symbolize intention with an ass, and we can symbolize description as horse. Because intention and expression are always coming and leaving. And so we can think that both intention and expression are also existent times at the present moment.

(17) Presence is restricted by presence itself; it is not restricted by absence. Absence is restricted by ab-sence itself; it is not restricted by presence.

(Having arrived at already is naturally self-regulated by having arrived at already, but it is not self-regulated by not having arrived at yet. Not having arrived at yet is naturally self- regulated by not having arrived at yet, but it is not self-regulated by having arrived already.)

In the real world everything is self-regulated by itself, and so we can think that everything is always self-restricted by itself at the existent time.

(18) The will hinders the will and meets the will. Words hinder words and meet words. Restriction hinders restriction and meets restriction. Restriction restricts restriction. This is Time.

(Intention self-regulates intention itself, and intention observe intention from the outside. Words self-regulates words themselves, and they observe words themselves from the outside. Restriction self-regulates restriction itself, and the restriction observe restriction itself from the outside. Therefore we can say that restriction self-regulates restriction itself, and restriction self-regulates restriction at the present moment. And we can call such situations as time.)

Therefore we can say that everything self-regulates everything itself, and such situations are called time.

(19) Restriction is utilized by objective dharmas, but restriction that re-stricts objective dharmas has never occurred.

(Restriction is utilized in other cases of many kinds of things and phenomena, but such a restriction is usually used in their own restrictions, and there is no restriction, which restricts other things and phenomena at all.)

All things and phenomena have their own self-regulations, but there is nothing and no phenomenon, which have function to restrict other things and phenomenon, at all.

(20) I meet with a human being, a human being meets with a human being, I meet with myself, and mani-festation meets with manifestation. Without Time, these [facts] could not be like this.

(When I meet with another, I can say that I meet with human being, human being meets with human being, I meet human being (me), and a manifestation meets with a manifestation. But those all meetings, if there were no time, might be impossible to exist really at all.)

If there were no time, it is perfectly impossible for everything to exist at the present moment at all.

(21) Furthermore, the will is the Time of the realized Universe, the words are the Time of the pivot which is the ascendant state, presence is the Time of laying bare the substance, and absence is the Time of sticking to this and parting from this. We should draw distinctions, and should enact Existence-Time, like this.

(At the same time, intention is the time, when the Universe is realized, word is the time, which is an ascended mechanism of intention, arrival is the time, when things have transcended their bodies, and no arrival is the time, when the attitude is attaching this and leaving this. We should recognize and affirm like this. And we should act at the existent time.)

Intention, word, arrival, and no arrival, should be understood and affirmed like those, and we should act at the present moment like those.

(22) I would like to say:The half-presence of will and words is Existence-Time,The half-absence of will and words is Existence-Time.There should be research in experience like this.

(We can say that intention and words have arrived at half, is also existent time, and intention and words haven't arrived at yet is also existent time. We should have experience and research like this.)

There might be the situations that both intention and words arrived at half and half, and there might be also both intention and words haven't arrived at half and half yet, however, those many kinds of situations are also existent times.

(23) Making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is half Existence-Time, Making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is mixed-up Existence-Time, Not making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is half Existence-Time, Not making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is mixed-up Existence-Time.When we experience coming and experience leaving, and when we experi-ence presence and experience absence, like this, that time is Existence-Time.

(Making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is half existent time, Making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is mistaken existent time,Not making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is half existent time, Not making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is mistaken existent time.When we experience coming and experience leaving, and when we experience presence and experience absence, like this, that time is also just existent time.)

In real situations, it is not always all or nothing, or righ or wrong, but in actual situations there are also cases of different percentages of volume, or numbers, too. The End

"In short it is not always clear whether we have the same doubt or not, but it is completely clear that a simple fact, which is called doubt, is time itself without fail."

(Gudo) Yes, it is true that a simple fact, which is called doubt, is time, but at the same time you have possibility to have many kinds of time other than doubt too.

(Rich San) One of the reasons I enjoy playing ice hockey is because it is "just doing" During the play I don't have time to be thinking good or bad, it just happens. I would say it is "no doubt, no time"

(Gudo) The simple fact that you are playing ice hockey is a simple fact at the present moment, and it is also time.

(Rich San) Can you comment on the sameness or difference between "doubt is time " and "no doubt no time"

(Gudo) "Doubt is time", and so it is impossible for me to say "no doubt no time."

Thank you very much for your questions.

Gudo Wafu Nishijima

1:54 AM, December 20, 2007 削除

Blogger Rich さんは書きました...

Dear Gudo, thank you for being clear about doubt, time and existance.

Is the will to the truth, the will to exist, the will for anything - just existance itself or is there something else I need to know.

Regards, Richard

(Gudo) The will to the truth, the will to exist, and the will for anything are not existence, but I think that they are just the function of your brain cells.

Thank you very much for your questions.

Gudo Wafu Nishijima

3:05 AM, December 21, 2007 削除Blogger Barry さんは書きました...

Nishijima Roshi,

regarding: (Gudo) at the same moment establishment of the will to the truth can occur, and the same will to the truth can occur at the same moment.

(4) Putting the self in order, we see what it is. The truth that self is Time is like this.

(Barry) please explain "will" in the context of Time/Being. i ask for practical reasons about will, not just curiosity. Thank you Roshi,

7:10 AM, December 21, 2007 削除

(Gudo) I think that "will" is just a function of the brain, and so it is very difficult for me to say that it is a kind of real entity.

Dear Master Gudo, I received my copy of the Shobogenzo Book 1 and after reading the first 2 chapters feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that these words have been passed on to me in an understandable way.Thank you,Richard